Losing Control
by ForeverIsALongTime
Summary: Sam thought he had complete control over his life and the wolf inside him, but he took the one instance of control for granted. A year later, he has to take a risk & face what he thought he changed for life, and it could end badly for Sam and Grace.


**Disclaimer: **_Don't own Shiver. I loved this story! It was so cute!_

**Warnings: **_I was bored and I wanted to write my own alternate ending a year later after Sam's return. Uh, I think the worst it could have is bad language once in a blue moon. I'm not sure. Rated T for an unknown reason at the moment. Maybe angst, now that I think about it._

**Summary: **_Sam thought he had complete control over his life and the wolf inside him, but he took the one instance of control for granted. A year later, he has to take a risk & face what he thought he changed for life, and it could end badly for Sam and Grace._

**Lose Control**

"Sam." Grace smiled. She loved Sam to her very core; he was her protector since the day he chose her over the pack. Sam looked down at her, feeling the same way; she saved him from living as a wolf for the rest of his short human life.

A year later since their relationship started, Sam hadn't been having any problems with his phasing. Just getting the chills every now and then, but the two thought it was just the snow. They didn't know how wrong they were. They didn't know it was the wolf side of him, trying to break free.

Grace's parents were skeptical about his phasing and his wolf side, but he tried to demonstrate, only phasing his tail, for fear he wouldn't be able to change back, despite the summer breeze. They no longer questioned him being a werewolf, and they trusted him with their daughter, because she did seem in love with him.

Sam was currently showering (he hated baths because of the horrible things his mother and father did to him), but shivers suddenly racked his frame. He turned the water hotter, trying to warm himself up, but it wasn't working. He was panicking a bit, and he turned the dial all the way, scorching himself in the process, but stopping the shivers all the same.

Sam yelled to Grace, "Can I maybe borrow something fleece? Warm?" He didn't want anything close to that again. He literally felt his control slip in those few seconds of shivering. Grace must have sensed his distress, for she walked in with a warm sweatshirt as well as a few blankets. "Close call?" she whispered, already knowing the answer because it happened a few times over the course of the season.

Sam frowned and whispered, "I was so close to losing control. I didn't know it could still happen. I don't want to lose you; you are my world. I just, it was so close," he didn't know what to say or do. Grace immediately brought the towel around his body so he wouldn't be cold when he walked out; she didn't want to lose him either. Sam hugged her like she was holding his heart, and he didn't know what he would do if he went back to being the wolf, not even knowing her name. If he lost her, his whole world would be lost with it.

Grace hugged him back, tightly, trying to warm him with body heat. She helped him dress fast, so he wouldn't be exposed to the cold too long. Once the shiver starts and it's not warm enough, they were hard to control; it would be harder to suppress the animal inside him.

:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:

*The Next Day*

Sam shivered from the cold. He knew today would be a bad day once a day when he woke up, freezing, his teeth chattering. He didn't know what to do about this year's change. He only had to hold out for two or three more months, but it seemed unbearable, especially since the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees lower every day. It wasn't going to be easy.

Sam walked down and greeted Grace's parents. Grace's dad abruptly stated, "We should move," Sam looked up wide-eyed; his pack was here. They still knew him, at least a little, with vague memories. Grace's mom voiced her shock, "Honey, why would we do a thing like that?" Grace's dad said, "Sam has got to be cold, and if he goes through the final change, which is totally possible since it is freezing more every day, what would happen to him and Grace?" Grace's mom said, "His friends live around here," seeming to read his thoughts on leaving his friends.

Sam spoke up and said, "Maybe we should let Grace decide." Honestly, Sam seemed welcome to the idea that they don't talk like he's not in the room, because Grace was always smart.

Grace's mom shook her head in agreement. Grace's dad reluctantly nodded. Grace walked in, and seeing everyone staring at her, asked, "Mom, dad, did you get Sam started on the crime shows? What?" She didn't know why they looked at her like they wanted to know something. Sam said, "Your parents think we should move because of the weather." Grace frowned, she didn't know why it was a big deal; Sam had a great deal of self-control. He didn't even have to face it last year. Only a little while. She asked Sam, "Are you having trouble? You are only getting shivers because of the cold, not the actual phasing, right?" Sam looked her straight in the eye when he said, "I believe I can try to face it off for another year. You are right about me facing it before; I think I could do it again." He nodded determinedly. She smiled and nodded back before saying, "Then it's settled. We're not moving."

Suddenly there was a quiet rapping noise on the door. Sam took a sniff and immediately told Grace's parents they should go upstairs and gather all the warm fleecy blankets for a precaution. Grace looked confused; she knew they were all in her room already, but when he opened the door, she was about to cry.

Olivia was lightly clothed, looking like she borrowed Isabelle's clothing. She walked in lithely, not unlike a trained ballerina. Grace hugged her tightly, "What happened to you?" Olivia smiled shyly and said, "I took a little while. I think I'm going to stay this way forever. I feel free as a wolf!" She sounded in high spirits, carefree.

Grace covered her mouth and took her to her room before her parents could notice. She shut the door and told her parents, "Never mind. We have enough blankets in here." They nodded and went back down stairs.

Olivia smiled and asked, "Did you take a picture of _me?_ You seemed to take a picture of everyone else," She looked at the room, decorated with scattered pictures of the pack. Grace smiled and showed her the picture she slipped when she first phased. Olivia held the picture in her hand delicately and whispered, "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you when I found out," referring to the time she didn't tell about her infection.

Grace smiled in understanding and said, "It's all in the past." She looked around before she asked, almost desperately, "Did you find a cure?" Olivia responded, "Huh?" before understanding crossed her features and sadness for her friend engulfed her. Grace saw the expression on her face and knew the answer. Olivia spoke, "Isabelle tried, but she couldn't think of anything that would work without being deadly as well." Grace nodded in disappointment.

Isabelle had dedicated herself to finding a cure, in hopes of saving others, even though she couldn't save her brother.

Sam came up behind Grace and gave her a firm hug around the waist before he kissed her neck and whispered, "It's going to be okay." Grace was trying to stay strong, but the thought of losing the one she loved made her heart break all over again and a traitor tear fell lightly. Sam kissed her lightly, trying to console her, even though he knew that the end was inevitable, and that it would happen very soon.

:~:~:~:~:~:

*Two Weeks Later*

Olivia left in the midst of an unpredicted snow storm, which almost caused the transformation; Sam couldn't talk until the shivers stopped engulfing his body every time the heater automatically shut off.

Global warming did have a perk though, because after the particularly hard snow storm, there hadn't been much of a temperature change, much to Sam and Grace's relief. He had about a month and a half until winter was over, and then he was free for an entire year.

But then the day came. Sam woke up at night, teeth clenched, but still managing to chatter. Grace woke up groggily, before she realized that the ending was coming. She cried gently, but didn't break out into sobs. Light tears coated her face as she tried to save Sam from his inevitable fate, but not even all of the fleece blankets could stop the tremors.

She held him as Sam shivered, and she finally cried when she heard bones crunching, going through his transitional change. Sam whispered breathless, "Grace, don't forget me and how much I love you. I want you to be happy and I promise to never forget you," obviously in pain. He knew that he wouldn't even remember her name because he would be a wolf, but he didn't want her to worry about this now.

He shivered through the morning, fur growing slowly, Grace trying to comfort him by whispering loving, motivational words in his ear, but she fell asleep for a moment. He kissed her lightly, and let the change take over, in hopes that she wouldn't have to see what he was going through. A strong ripple rocked his body and the transition was over. He was full wolf. He looked at the peaceful girl sleeping and thought of when he saved her. He didn't want to cause her pain.

He lightly licked her cheek before he opened the window with his muzzle. He slipped out noiselessly, lithely landing on all fours.

He looked at her and went to her bedside window, letting her know he would always be her protector, even if he couldn't be with her.

Grace's cry could be heard by everyone. Then the wolves howled. She saw him run to her window with a paw out. She whispered, "Go with the pack. They need you and you need them now. Go," She shooed him away. He looked hurt, but he seemed to understand the meaning of her words when she indicated to the howling. He walked into the darkness of the forest to join the wolf pack, forever.

**A/N: **_Hope you liked this. I loved this story. It was so cute! I wanted to write one that was sad, because those are my favorite stories. I'm really working on my one-shots. I hope you like it! This is the second one I'm finishing in a day. Please REVIEW! I love to read people's reviews. _


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